Quick Summary
The team combats the evolution of the vampiric illithids and prevents a sabotage. Ellsee connects with the crystal mind and discovers new hope in the form of Laetus' own peach pit memory. Revelations about the arcane nature of the lair complicate the initial plan. A taunting creature makes itself an enemy of Gunnar's, but the team works together and avoids disaster.
Session Recap
Session opened with Solstice investigating the geometric jar and Ellsee preparing to detect thoughts. Chicory caught sight of a shadow on a nearby tank and cast dancing lights, allowing the team to see a winged creature opening the tank hatch before it creeped away. As the sound of discordant, multi-mouthed laughter filled the chamber and something began to bust out of the tank, Ellsee saw movement from the previously defeated vampire illithid as one reanimated and the other’s form began to ripple and twitch.
The team jumped into action to put out those two fires. Ellsee cast moonbeam on the vampirillithid shambling towards the crystal, dropping it before it could reach its goal, and Chicory shot the other with Kairos, which allowed a swarm of tiny worm-like creatures to burst free. Solstice tried to help Arye close the tank hatch, but succumbed to the confusion effect of the gibbering mouther and took off at full gallop.
After destroying the swarm of worms with their moonbeam, Ellsee reached out to Solstice to help her calm down; Laetus also lashed her to prevent her from running off. After a momentary rant about the fucked up situation the team found themself in, Solstice was able to shake the confusion effect and cast arcane lock on the tank hatch.
Solstice investigated the cremains of the vampire illithid, determining that it wouldn’t be getting up again and that it was a created being. Meanwhile, Chicory investigated the great crystal with detect magic and learned that it had been emitting pulses of supportive energy towards the vampirillithids and the winged creature. When they cast identify, they learned that it was not truly an object, but a construct and living creature.
Ellsee realised this concurrently, as they telepathically linked with the crystal mind and asked it about its functions, which it did not wish to share, and the purpose of the vampirillithids. When they asked if there was “another way to exit this demiplane”, they received flashes of the teleportation circle, a dark portal in a stone frame, and an interlinked series of complex spells. They also asked if what was taken from Laetus still existed and was stored anywhere, and because of their supernatural persuasiveness, received a true answer: “Part of that one is contained within me. Some parts are lost forever, consumed. Some remain elsewhere, where I cannot see.”
The crystal mind agreed to give Ellsee the part of Laetus that it possessed, if Ellsee would agree to link with it on a deeper level. Chicory advised her to explore her own mind first, saying Laetus wasn’t worth risking it. Solstice realised the crystal mind was similar to the legendary creature known as an elder brain and advised Ellsee to be careful; but she also said that Laetus might not be worth it, but she thought Rin was, and Laetus could help them save Rin.
Ellsee went on a telepathic journey inwards, and in diving into her encounter with the avatar of Laetus, she realised that Laetus has passed them his own peach pit. They opened it and saw a memory that was so repressed and yet so integral to Laetus that it could not have been taken away. They experienced his side of the story of her earliest memory, when he sacrificed his perfect union with Laehath in order to save the Poemme siblings and ensure their safety in the Circus. Ellsee felt confident that, with this “peach pit” to serve as the core around which the other portions of himself could be re-integrated, there was hope of his restoration.
After Ellsee returned to themself and shared this new hope, the team had a brief encounter with a red-skinned, winged creature. This creature taunted them, calling them “just another adventuring party” and insisting it was impossible to restore Laetus. After he skulked away, team discussed their next moves.
When Solstice mentioned Atropus and the crystal mind read her deeper thoughts about it, information about Atropus became a bargaining chip. When Ellsee agreed to the deeper link, they exchanged what they knew of the hungering planetoid in exchange for the portion of Laetus contained within the crystal mind. They were able to partition what they received and keep a grip on their own identity, but only just, finding that it was a strain to contain this much of Laetus, but not unbearable.
The team returned to the landing area with the spell circle. Solstice and Chicory investigated the bizarrely constructed and incredibly complex circle, together determining that the circle performed six functions, one of which prevented the use of transportation magic to leave the lair and was currently active.
While they were on the platform, the red-skinned creature activated one of the runes, catching the team up in a reverse gravity column that neither Chicory nor Solstice were able to counterspell in time. Laetus lashed the creature and pulled it into the column; its taunting behaviour made Chicory and Ellsee realise that its form was an illusory duplicate, and the furious Solstice used dispel magic to get rid of it.
Session concluded with the reverse gravity effect suddenly coming to an end. Thanks to Chicory’s feather fall, the team floated down to the platform safely, angry with the winged creature and determined to do what they came to do.